Introduction to lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a type of manufacturing process that has as its main goal to eliminate any and all forms of waste throughout the process to increase productivity, efficiency and, or course, profit margins. The focus of lean manufacturing is not to eliminate waste from one step or part of the process but from the company as a whole. It is more of an attitude and a way of life for many businesses. Lean manufacturing appeals to many different types of companies on many different levels and for many different reasons. Of course there will be some variation in the way and the extent to which lean manufacturing is implemented for each individual company and each product.

Some types naturally lend themselves more readily to the philosophy than others do. Some of the main advantages of lean manufacturing are less wasted time and resources resulting in a higher profit margin and lower fixed costs for each unit produced. These also benefit the customer because the manufacturer can then pass on the savings to them through lower prices or higher quality for the same cost as other companies. This is obviously going to be a very appealing point for most businesses especially if they can develop a process that will continue to draw new and excited customers and to keep previous ones loyal at the same time. Lean manufacturing also aims to ensure that each customer who buys the end product will have one that is free from defect and blemish that will last longer because it was produced better. Having less waste as dysfunctional and defective products is also a goal of lean manufacturing.

Of course there have been many companies that have implemented lean strategies over the years, but some of the most notable have been Ford Motor Company and Toyota. Henry Ford believed that each car should be identical to a tea and the every car to come off the lines should be the same as the one before and the one after. He revolutionized the automotive industry and was able to implement lean manufacturing in ways that no on e else had aver done before. Toyota is another famous example of lean manufacturing. They take the approach that a product should not be produced until there is a customer that is matched to it that will eventually purchase it. They believe that each one made should be delivered just "on time" and should not be finished before or after the due date. This type of approach, for Toyota, means that there is less costly inventory to deal with and that there will never be too many cars around that they won't be able to sell.

Lean training at every level of the organization

Knowing what lean manufacturing is and deciding on what methods you would like to implement in your company is the first step in the process. Now you must decide how it is that you would like to approach your lean training. There are dozens if not hundreds of companies that will be willing to offer you courses, lecture materials, books, CD's, tutorials, PowerPoint presentations, online classes, etc. Deciding which company to hire to assist you in the lean training process is something that you will have to do on your own. But the main principles that should exist within any good lean training course should include the following. Keep in mind that this is in no way a comprehensive list of the only lean training elements to look for. You should search to find a training program that fits your company's unique needs and can be tailored to fit your type of organization.

Management and lean training

Obviously any implementation of new techniques and training is ultimately going to be the responsibility of management to spearhead. Executive management team members have the responsibility to set the expectations for any training program as well as to challenge the company to change its culture. In lean manufacturing you will learn that the members of management should not necessarily be the ones with all of the say and power in the organization. But one very important role of management exists during the lean training of the company. Managers must be knowledgeable and provide the type of supportive leadership that the organization needs to see their lean implementations through. Without the push of management these lean initiatives can very easily die off as enthusiasm for change becomes lax. The bottom line is that it is the responsibility of management to see the lean training through from beginning to end, while it is not necessarily their responsibility to micro manage to the point that executives are the ones who run the company. Lean training for managers entails learning how to develop, manage, and nurture a culture of lean thinking.

Creation of lean implementation teams and middle managers

Lean implementation teams should be formed as part of the lean training process. Lean implementation teams need detailed training on specific lean tools that the company has established in order to identify and eliminate non-value-added activities throughout the organization. Often these lean implementation teams will have the responsibility for a major project such as redesigning a product line, implementing a Kanban system, or introducing 5S. These teams require a more detailed understanding of Lean tools in order to accomplish their objectives. Naturally this means that this group of individuals will need specialized training of their own in order to successfully implement the lean training techniques that are required for company wide success.

Middle management has the role of identifying opportunities for lean training and to prioritize projects to devote the most time to implementing lean training that will achieve the greatest results. It is essential that this group of middle managers understands why improvement is required, their important role in the Lean organization, and how they can contribute to success.

Lean training for floor workers

Lean manufacturing is strongly focused on the empowerment and utilization of each and every employee from management to the workers on the production floor. Therefore, a good lean training system will need to include front line workers in their training process. Every employee needs to understand what his or her role in the company is as it pertains to the support of the new lean processes. Everyone in the organization needs to be on the same page or have a common perspective and understand the language of lean. Each and every individual needs to be aware that they play a vital role in the continuous improvement of the business that they are a part of. There should be no mystery to lean training that only managers are given the answers to. Lean implementation is all about common sense and using your common sense to see things in a new way and to make changes that will make work not only more exciting but easier as well.

Lean training the Toyota way

Toyota has long been an example of one of the best implemented lean manufacturing systems in the world today. Toyota's implementation of this strategy stretches from the training of employees to the production floor and all the way to the dealership when the keys are handed over to the new customer. The transition from one model to another is perfectly timed and orchestrated through the systems that Toyota has developed to make a seamless transition all over the world at the same time. This has been another of the reasons for Toyota's tremendous success in recent years. They are able to consistently deliver a fresh product to customers all over the world exactly when they are called for and not a moment too soon or too late. Toyota manages its operations from a global production center that allows them to be the most efficient possible within certain constraints. One of the biggest goals of Toyota is to reduce the overall volume of work which will result in the elimination of duplication which is obviously a very important aspect of efficiency. Less support hours are needed because of the system that Toyota uses and this leads to better quality and cost benefits across the world.

Some of the most important strides that Toyota has made have been in training their employees and educating them on the processes of the company and then actually implementing those into their workday. Because they have the global center and have so many people in the company focused on the lean manufacturing perspective, they are able to achieve much more in less time than many people ever believed possible.

With the changes that Toyota has made recently to improve its training methods since 2003, they have been able to train nearly 1000 workers and by this year will have trained about 5000 in their main plant as well as training facilities overseas and in Europe. The philosophy of lean manufacturing and training at Toyota will continue to improve as new ideas and approaches are explored and tested. There will always be new and better ways to make sure that people are trained in the best and most efficient ways possible.